Originally published: June 28, 2013

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Some cars make history by a defining trait. The Mustang, Camaro and Corvette, for example, are heralded as the greatest muscle cars of all time. Ferraris and Lamborghinis will always be signatures of sexy design and surreal performance. And the Chevy Volt might some day earn its rightful place as the first viable electric vehicle to market.

The 2013 Audi S8 will also find it place in the annals of automotive lore. But it won’t necessarily be for its outrageous price ($149,095 in this case) or its Prince Charles level of leather-lined luxury. Instead, the S8 will forever become known by its most obvious ability: the power to pass multiple cars within a very short space.

Without question, the 2013 S8 is the ultimate authority on passing — the pre-eminent King of Overtaking. And how could it not be with a 520 horsepower V8 twin-turbo engine that allows the S8, with a firm push of the right pedal, to easily rush past seven cars in a row — six of them stuck behind one driver going 75 km/h on a highway where everyone routinely does 100 km/h? It is pure, raw acceleration that must be what a CF-18 feels like on takeoff. In fact, in a ¼-mile drag race between a CF-18 and an S8, I’m not sure I’d bet on the jet, since the S8 can run the quarter in under 12 seconds.

It is bewildering, too, that an all-wheel drive car as heavy as the S8 (roughly 2,100 kgs, despite lots of aluminum) and as long (measuring 5,146 mm) can be quicker than a rear-wheel drive 2013 Porsche 911 Carrera S; but here is the cold hard truth: the S8 hits 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds, the 911 requires 4.5.

The S8, then, is a Trojan Horse, looking so elegant and honourable that even Tzeporah Berman would approve it for a company car. But lurking beneath that broad aluminum hood is 481 lb.-ft. of torque that can lay waste to vast stretches of asphalt. Disable the traction control, wait for the light to turn green, then hammer the S8’s throttle. Look back and four long licorice strips will mark the territory left behind, all while physically pushing the driver hard into the loveliest Valcona leather seats this side of Ingolstadt.

But all that straight line monstrosity of torque is surely useless once the road resembles spaghetti and all that heft needs to be managed, you say, allowing the 911 to easily close the gap, overtake the S8 and spit hot exhaust gas into the Audi’s big gaping grille, right?

Again, shockingly, no. The S8 is surprisingly adept at finding its feet in the twisties, aided by a sophisticated “drive select” system that adjusts damper stiffness and throttle response, not to mention having a rear sport differential, air suspension and eight speed automatic controllable via paddle shifters. While the electronic steering wasn’t always consistent in its weight, it did feel properly connected when the scenery was whizzing past. The optional night vision assist ($2,500) was uniquely adept at picking up heat sources and would be ideal in a dark urban setting, as was the top view camera that made parking and reversing seem like I was being guided by a NASA satellite.

On a long track with lots of turns, the 911 would undoubtedly gain the better of an S8, I think, but through any stretch of ambling countryside, the S8 will reign supreme. While the body lean might sometimes be noticeable, the big brakes feel as strong as carbon ceramics. The S8 also looks utterly sharp, riding on 21-inch wheels, using a slightly lower suspension and gazing into the darkness with stern LED headlamps.

Of course, the S8 won’t sound nearly as good as a 911, but that’s not to say the big sedan is totally quiet under acceleration, when the snarl of the direct-injection V8 is hushed only by lots of insulation and the thrust from the two IHI turbochargers. In sedate driving, the S8 is as quiet as anything from Mercedes, Lexus or BMW. Throw in the optional Bang & Olufsen sound system with its twin pop-up tweeters for $7,000, and the experience is not unlike a night at Carnegie Hall, though I was not completely blown away by such an expensive stereo, finding the $1,000 Bang & Olufsen system in the Audi Q5 to be just as good.

The S8 does, however, benefit from noise cancellation to counter the blurb that emanates when the V8 deactivates four cylinders in an effort to save fuel. It works, too, both on the noise and fuel economy front, never being noticeable and allowing me to achieve 9.2 L/100km in highway driving. City driving was a different story, with averages closer to 18 and 20 L/100 km, though I wasn’t exactly driving as though Conrad Black was reading a newspaper in back. Had he been, Sir Black would have enjoyed the power-assisted rear door closing, dual DVD players, Alcantara headliner, power sunshades, heated or cooled seats, though he’d be less impressed with the smallish 510-litre trunk, even if it does power itself closed.

What no one can argue with, however, is the command the S8 has on the open road. While the Audi S8 is unquestionably many things, it will always be recognized as the car that could fly past anything and everything with the utmost of ease.